The Route
Starting at Routeburn Road end, the track crosses a swing bridge and starts as a gentle sidle up the true left hand side of the Routeburn. The well graded track crosses sugarloaf stream (start/finish of the classic five pass tramp) and the bridal veil waterfall and leads to a steeper climb that goes above the gorge to Forge Flats, the site of an early blacksmith camp. The valley opens up soon after this point, re-crosses the Routeburn and heads towards the Routeburn flats.
Leaving the Routeburn Flats hut, the track climbs steadily towards the Routeburn falls Hut, passing Eagle Bluff and Emily creek, to the site of a major slip in 1987. This slip has cleared the beech forest from around the track affording views back down the Routeburn as well as up the Routeburn (north branch) towards Mt. Somnus (2293m) and Mt Momus (2148m).
Past the Routeburn Falls hut, the track becomes narrower and more technical as it climbs past Lake Harris. Passing under bluffs as it sidles around Lake Harris there is a view up 'the valley of trolls' towards Lake Wilson (the source of the Routeburn) and the Serpentine Range.
Above Lake Harris, the track arrives at the Harris shelter. The popular side trip to Conical Hill (1515m) is commonly done from the shelter, and offers a 360 degree view of the area. From the saddle (1255m), the track traverses southwards along the Hollyford face, with expansive views out to Martins Bay and the Tasman Sea, before a descent of a steep series of zig-zags to Lake Mackenzie Hut.
From Lake Mackenzie, the track crosses a small flat before climbing to the bushline. It then gradually descends past the 'Orchard', an open grassy area dotted with ribbonwood trees, to the Earland Falls (178m high). The route passes under the falls but in times of heavy flow an alternative route exists dropping below the falls to a small bridge. The track continues its gradual descent to down Howden Hut. From here the track branches off towards the Caples/Greenstone tracks which create a semi-circuit back towards Glenorchy, the Routeburn continuing past Key Summit to The Divide road end and the end of the track.
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| Point | Coordinates (links to map & photo sources) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Routeburn Shelter | 44°43′05″S 168°16′27″E / 44.718018°S 168.274247°E / -44.718018; 168.274247 (Routeburn Shelter) | |
| Routeburn Flats Hut and Camp | 44°43′32″S 168°12′53″E / 44.725466°S 168.214794°E / -44.725466; 168.214794 (Routeburn Flats Hut and Camp) | |
| Route Burn (North Branch) | 44°41′26″S 168°12′28″E / 44.690586°S 168.207799°E / -44.690586; 168.207799 (Route Burn (North Branch)) | |
| Routeburn Falls Hut | 44°43′33″S 168°11′54″E / 44.725819°S 168.198392°E / -44.725819; 168.198392 (Routeburn Falls Hut) | |
| Harris Saddle | 44°43′37″S 168°10′13″E / 44.726954°S 168.170337°E / -44.726954; 168.170337 (Harris Saddle) | |
| Conical Hill | 44°43′18″S 168°10′09″E / 44.721734°S 168.169096°E / -44.721734; 168.169096 (Conical Hill) | |
| Lake Mackenzie Hut | 44°46′03″S 168°10′24″E / 44.767611°S 168.173198°E / -44.767611; 168.173198 (Lake Mackenzie Hut) | |
| Lake Mackenzie Camp | 44°45′50″S 168°10′35″E / 44.763969°S 168.176411°E / -44.763969; 168.176411 (Lake Mackenzie Camp) | |
| Lake Howden Hut | 44°48′56″S 168°08′06″E / 44.815632°S 168.135036°E / -44.815632; 168.135036 (Lake Howden Hut) | |
| Key Summit | 44°48′53″S 168°07′40″E / 44.814847°S 168.127886°E / -44.814847; 168.127886 (Key Summit) | |
| State Highway 94 / The Divide | 44°49′30″S 168°07′02″E / 44.824875°S 168.117152°E / -44.824875; 168.117152 (State Highway 94/The Divide) |
Read more about this topic: Routeburn Track
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—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
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terror pervades but is not arranged, all possibilities
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—Archie Randolph Ammons (b. 1926)